GIOVE-B arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome

13 March 2008

GIOVE-B, the second Galileo in-orbit validation satellite, has arrived at the launch site at Baikonur, in Kazakhstan. The Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft that had carried from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) via Moscow landed at 10:58 local time.

The spacecraft and its ground support systems will now be checked out prior to the integration of GIOVE-B with the Fregat upper stage that will guide it into the correct orbit after launch.

GIOVE-B and Fregat will be carried into space by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle.

The launch of GIOVE-B is scheduled for 04:16:02 local time on 27 April (00:16 CEST, 22:16 UTC [26 April]).